Over the past several decades accurate place-kicking capabilities for kick-offs, scoring field goals, as well as scoring extra points has become an indispensable weapon in the arsenal of modern football teams. A football is typically positioned on a kick-off tee to perform the kick-off. The place kick for extra points and field goals is typically performed with a player called a holder assisting the kicker by teeing up the football in a stationary, substantially upright position with one end of the football resting on either the playing surface or a flat kicking plate commonly referred to as a tee. The football is hiked from the center to the holder who transfers it into the teed up position before the kicker's foot engages the football. The holder normally steadies the football in the desired substantially upright position by placing a finger on the upper tip end of the football and applying slight pressure downwardly on the football.
High proficiency and accurate place-kicking is obtained by hours and hours of practice out of season, as well as during the season. To most nearly simulate actual game conditions, the participation of a holder is required at practice sessions to support the football in the desired vertical or angled position used for placekicking. However, it is impractical to dedicate the services of a player solely to serve as the practice holder for a placekicker. Additionally, in practicing during the off season, it is difficult for placekickers to obtain the assistance of other persons to hold footballs in the desired position while the kicker practices.
In an attempt to aid placekickers in practicing their kicking skills, a variety of devices have been employed in the past as a substitute for the human holder. One prior art device for holding a football in a substantially vertical position includes a structure having an arm which is indefinitely variable for allowing a mechanical finger on the arm to be pre-set to engage one end of the football and impose a compressive force downwardly against the football. This device allows for footballs of various sizes to be held at various limited angles relative to the ground or kicking tee. Although these devices act as a holder for practicing placekicking footballs, these devices tend to be expensive, heavy and cumbersome. Furthermore, significant time is required to reposition the mechanical finger to place sufficient compression on the top end of the football to hold it in the desired position. Illustrative examples of this type of device are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,546,974 to Brown and 4,634,122 to Kline.
Another alternative for practicing placekicking without a human holder is to use a kick-off tee, such as the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,309,087 and 4,418,910. With these types of devices, a ball is supported on a platform having three legs that support a platform at a desired height above the surface. The tee platform also has upright elements to engage the sides of the football and hold it in a substantially upright position.
However, there are many shortcomings using kick off tees to practice placekicking for field goals and extra points. Currently, NFL and collegiate rules require that the bottom end of the football touch the playing surface when kicking field goals and extra points. These above-mentioned kicking tees elevate the football above the playing surface and do not simulate place-kicking under game conditions. Further, the upright elements used on these prior art kick-off tees for engaging the sides of football interfere with the kicking motion. Repeated kicking of a football from these types of kicking tees can bruise the instep of a soccer-style kicker's foot since there is relatively little tissue between the skin and bone.
None of the current devices provide a simple device allowing a placekicker to practice kicking footballs by himself simulating game conditions (i.e. placekicking with a football positioned with one end touching the playing surface, or in the alternative, placing the practice device on a block so that a kicker can practice placekicking with the one end of the football elevated above the playing surface). As such, none of the prior art kicking tees are fully satisfactory for practicing placekicking.